Pakistan rejects Indian top court’s ruling ending Kashmir’s special status

Pakistan has rejected the ruling by the Supreme Court of India upholding the Indian government’s decision to revoke special status for the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indian government, on August 5, 2019, unilaterally struck down Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution, which are provisions of the constitution gave which gave special status to Kashmir.

Since August this year, India’s top court has been hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the constitutionality of that move.

On Monday, a panel of five judges unanimously ruled to uphold the government’s decision.

Pakistan, rejecting the ruling in a statement, said the nation does not acknowledge the supremacy of the Indian Constitution over Jammu and Kashmir.

“Any process, subservient to the Indian Constitution, carries no legal significance,” the statement read.

In the statement, it was stressed that Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized dispute, which has remained on the agenda of the UN Security Council for over seven decades.

Therewith, Pakistan said the final disposition of Jammu and Kashmir is to be made in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions and as per the aspirations of the Kashmiri people in their right to self-determination.

The statement also emphasized that the Indian Supreme Court failed to recognize the internationally recognized disputed nature of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and cater to the aspirations of the Kashmiri people “who have already rejected India’s illegal and unilateral actions”.

“Restoration of statehood, conduct of State Assembly elections or similar steps cannot serve as a substitute to the grant of the right to self-determination to the Kashmiri people,” it added.

Pakistan further said the judgment cannot distract the international community’s attention from the gross and systematic human rights violations being perpetrated in Jammu and Kashmir.

The nation also affirmed its commitment to extend its full political, diplomatic, and moral support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination.